Endless chain cutting machine for use in mining coal and other minerals



0. F. LEWIS May 2, 1939 ENDLESS CHAIN CUTTING MACHINE FOR USE 1N MININGCOAL AND OTHER MINERALS Filed March 7, 1938 w/ 0 My 1 5 5 9 ",4 3 FPatented May 2, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ENDLESS CHAIN CUTTINGMACHINE FOR USE IN MINING COAL AND OTHER MIN- ERALS Application March 7,1938, Serial No. 194,455 In Great Britain March 30, 1937 '7 Claims.

This invention relates to endless-chain cutting machines such as areused for excavating coal and other minerals.

In such machines the cutting chain runs round a guide member or jib andis guided between the top and bottom plates of the jib, so that in timethe parts of the jib orguide wear and require renewal. Owing, however,to the large number of rivets or "bolts which have to be removed toenable the jib members to be taken apart, considerable trouble'andexpense is involved in again putting the machine into proper workingorder.

The object of the present invention is to provide an arrangement whichwill avoid the delay and inconvenience involved in removing andreplacing the worn parts of the jib and which will also enable thecutting chain to be properly guided and supported and thus avoid theusual slackness and play between the chain and its guide so that themachine can be made more efficient.

According to the invention the jibor guide in which the cutting chainruns is provided with a readily renewable liner. This liner can be madein one or more pieces and can be shaped so as to cover all the surfacesof the jib guide which are subjected to wear. The liner is preferablysecured in place by light welds or tack welds along the outer edges ofthe jib plates so that the liner can be readily removed when required bychipping away the securing welds.

When the liner is made in more than one piece the parts can be securedtogether and to the jib frame by a weld or welds at the bottom of thejib guide or, in cases where the cutting chain is retained in the jibguide by an internal retaining member secured by bolts or studs to thejib frame, the member can be utilized for holding the liner in place atthe bottom of the jib guide.

The jib guide into which the liner is fitted can also be built up fromplates welded together and machined to receive the liner.

Examples of alternative constructions according to the invention areillustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. l is a section through a jib guide and liner and showing a pickblock of the cutter chain in position in the guide.

Fig. 2 is a section through a built up jib guide before the jib ismachined and the liner is fitted.

Fig. 3 is a sectional View similar to Fig. 2 and showing a modifiedliner structure.

Figs. 4 and 5 are similar fragmentary sections through a jib guide toshow modified forms of liners.

Referring to Fig. l, the jib has two side members I and a cross member 2which forms the bottom of the jib guide while the projecting portions ofthe side member I form the sides of the guide. The inside of the jibguide is machined on its inside faces to take a renewable liner 3 havinga bottom portion 6 and side portions 5. Within the liner is shown thesaddle 6 of a pick box forming part of the cutter chain and the sides ofthe liner are turned over or flanged as at I to form bearing surfacesbeneath the pick block 8 on the top of the saddle Ii. In thisconstruction the pick boxes are retained in the jib guide by a retainingmember 9 secured by a bolt II] to the bottom 2 of the guide and theretaining member 9 is. utilized for holding the liner in place at thebottom of the guide, the bottom 4 of the liner being gripped between themember 9 and the bottom 2 of the guide when the bolt I0 is tightened.The liner 3 can be divided along the centre line of the jib or it may bein one piece transversely with clearance holes formed therein for thebolts lit. The outer edges of the liner are secured by light welds ortack welds II either along the outer corners of the sides I .of theguide and the flanges l as on the left of Fig. 1 or in the spacesbetween bevels I2 on the sides I and the undersides of the flanged partsI of the liner as on the right of Fig. 1.

Fig. 2 shows how the jib can be built up from side plates 2| and abottom plate 22 welded to the side plates by fillet welds I3 and plugwelds I4 and the guide then machined away to the dotted lines for thereception of the renewable liner.

Fig. 3 shows a built-up jib guidesimilar to that of Fig. 2 with a linermade in one piece transversely but only having a bottom portion 24 andsides 25 and not flanged over the edges of the side plates 2| of the jibguide. In this construction the liner is secured in place by light weldsI5 filling the spaces between bevels IE on the inside edges of the sideplates 2| and the outer face of the sides 25 of the liner as on the leftof Fig. 3 or it may be secured by cutting short the sides 25 of theliner and filling up the corners. thus formed by the sides 25 of theliner and the side plates I by welds I! as on the right of Fig. 3.

Figs. 4 and 5 show two forms of liners built up from parts. A liner canbe constructed in two halves transversely, one half being as shown inFig. 4 with a side flanged over at 1 and with a half-bottom 4 and heldin place by a bottom weld 18 between the two halves 4 and welds llsimilar to the corresponding weld on the right of Fig. 1. Alternativelythe liner may have each half constructed as shown in Fig. 5 with a side45 and half-bottom 44' held in place by the welds l8 and i9 and with aseparate strip 20 forming a flange secured to the side 45 and to the jibside plate 2| by the weld I9 and also secured on the jib plate 2| by aweld ll between the underside of the strip 20 and a bevel I2 on theplate 2|.

The liners are made of specially hard or tough steel and can be made inconvenient lengths or longitudinal sections to suit convenience inmanufacture and fitting to the jib and the joints between thelongitudinal sections can be suitably positioned welds.

The liner can be readily removed when required by chipping away theholding welds and the liner can be easily replaced by a new liner or athicker liner to take up wear on the outside of the cutter chain.

The wearing faces of the liner can be machined so that the chain can bemade a much more accurate fit in the guide than is usually the case andthis in itself greatly reduces excessive wear as there need be nolooseness or slackness to permit twisting or tilting of the chain in itsguide.

The fact that the liner is readily removable also makes it much easierand quicker to repair a machine with a worn chain and jib than is thecase with the usual constructions of chaincutter machines.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a chain coal-cutting or like machine, a jib for carrying thecutter chain, a guide channel for the chain in said jib, said channelbeing wider and deeper than necessary to receive the chain, and liningmeans covering the entire bottom and sides of said channel to bring itto the required dimensions to fit the chain and said lining means beingwelded to the edges of the jib.

2. In a chain coal cutting or like machine, a

jib carrying the cutter chain, a guide channel in said jib in which thechain runs, and lining means inserted between the chain and the coactingsurfaces of the guide channel and covering the entire bottom, sides andedges of the Walls of said channel and said lining means being welded tothe jib by light welds.

3. In a chain coal cutting or like machine, a jib carrying the cutterchain, a guide channel in said jib in which the chain runs, retainingmeans secured to the bottom of said channel for holding the chain in thechannel, and a lining member covering the bottom and sides of saidchannel and secured in the channel by said retaining means and by lightwelds at the edges of the channel sides.

4. In a chain coal cutting or like machine, a jib for carrying thecutter chain, a guide channel for the chain in said jib, a lining membercovering one half of the bottom sufaceand one side surface of thechannel and flanged over one edge of said jib, a second lining membercovering the other half of the bottom surface and the other side surfaceof the channel and flanged over the other edge of said jib, weldingsecuring the flanges of said lining members to the edges of the jib, andmeans for securing the lining members to the bottom of said channel.

5. In a chain coal cutting or like machine, an arrangement according toclaim 4, wherein the flanges of said lining members are formed byseparate portions Welded to the remainder of the lining members and tothe jib.

6. In a chain coal-cutting or like machine, a jib formed from spacedside plates and transverse members secured between said side plates at adistance from the edges of said plates to form therewith a guide channelalong the edge of the jib, lining means covering said side plates andtransverse members at their surfaces which from the entire insidesurface of said channel and said lining means being flanged over theedges of said side plates, and means for securing said lining means tosaid jib.

'7. The structure of claim 2., and said lining means being formed of asingle piece of material.

OSWALD FLOYD LEWIS.

